Warmest Wishes

Spread Cheer This Year With Greeting Cards That Do Good

November 01, 1998|By Hugh Hart. Special to the Tribune.

Here's a crop of holiday cards that will infect you with the true spirit of Christmas.

There is the energetic, rough-hewn rendering of a Christmas tree and teddy bear crafted by John King, a developmentally disabled resident at Little City Foundation. There is the Humane Society's portrait of Spencer, the abandoned mutt adopted by artist Shane Dimmick. There is the beautiful "Bird of Peace" painted by a 7-year-old patient at Children's Memorial Hospital and the bright red angel drawn by 12-year-old Shameka Cook of the Cabrini-Green Tutoring Program.

Following is a sampling of not-for-profit groups that offer holiday cards to raise money for their services. The prices listed are for the smallest quantity available and do not include shipping costs. Unless otherwise noted, custom imprinting costs extra.

The Alzheimer's Association offers two cards created by people with Alzheimer's disease, as well as 10 professionally designed Christmas cards. The Greater Chicagoland Chapter of the association provides services for Alzheimer's patients, families and caregivers in Cook, Lake, DuPage and Kane Counties. Cost: $20 for 20 cards. Call: 847-933-2413.o

The American Heart Association of Metropolitan Chicago sells a card featuring a snowflake design accented with a red foil heart, with health tips printed on the inside. Cost: $31.50 for 25 cards. Call: 312-346-4675.

The Anti-Cruelty Society sells two cards. One features a color photo of three dogs, the other a cat wearing a red stocking cap. Cost: $15 for 12 cards. Call: 312-644-8338, ext. 301.

The Cabrini-Green Tutoring Program offers four designs by participants in its program, which serves 450 grade-school children. Projects this year have included essay contests, spelling bees and computer training. Cost: $20 for 20 cards. Call: 312-467-4980.

The Center for Enriched Living in Deerfield provides drama, cooking and other social-enrichment and skill-development activities for people of all ages with developmental disabilities. The two designs available are based on abstract watercolors created by participants in the center's art club. Two designs are available. Cost: $22.50 for 15 cards. Call: 847-948-7001.

The Chicago Fund on Aging and Disability offers a design based on Debra Hardesty's oil painting of a basket of fruit. Proceeds benefit the agency's Meals on Wheels program, which provides hot meals to more than 4,000 elderly or otherwise homebound people on holidays throughout the year. Cost: $1.50 each or $12.50 for a box of 10 cards. Call: 312-744-2120.

The Chicago Lighthouse, a rehabilitation and education agency serving people who are blind or visually impaired, is selling four designs created by children using tactile art supplies. There are four designs, including one with a Hanukkah theme. Cost: $20 for 20 cards. Call: 312-997-3682.

Children's Memorial Hospital benefits from the sale of 19 card designs plus an assortment package. All were illustrated by patients at the Lincoln Park hospital. Cost: starting at $38 for 25 cards. Call: 888-848-5437.

The Gastro-Intestinal Research Foundation offers three cards with traditional holiday themes. Cost: $60 for 25 cards, including one line of imprinting. Call: 312-332-1371.

The Hadley School for the Blind offers a Christmas tree design by Sandy Carsons with holiday greetings in Braille and conventional printing. Cost: $22 for 25 cards. Call: 847-446-8111, ext. 294.

The Humane Society of the United States offers 36 designs including the portrait of Spencer, the abandoned terrier-mix dog rescued by the group. Cost: starting at $11.95 for 20 cards. Call: 800-486-2630.

The International Center on Deafness, a Northbrook-based group, offers a card with an M. Scherer illustration of a watermill surrounded by snow-covered trees. Cost: $20 for 20 cards. Call: 847-559-0110, ext. 421.

Lamb's Farm in Libertyville is a community for mentally retarded people aged 16 and older. Residents produce all the cards in their own silk-screen shop. Five of the 12 designs were created by Lamb's Farm residents. Cost: $19.95 for 20 cards. Call: 800-525-2627.

La Rabida Children's Hospital and Research Center, located in Chicago's Jackson Park, cares for children with chronic illnesses and long-term disabilities. The hospital also has a program for abused and neglected children. Five designs are available. Cost: $40 for 25 cards, including one line of imprinting. Call: 773-363-6700, ext. 344.